Shiva and Parvati (Uma-Mahesvara)

The Uma-Mahesvara is a depiction of the great Hindu god Shiva in an affectionate mode. He holds his wife Uma (also called Parvati) on his left knee, and Nandi, the bull that is the deity’s ‘vehicle,’ rests below them. To Nandi’s right is Ganesha, the couple’s elephant-headed son, and to the left is their other son, Kartikeya. Shiva, the creator and destroyer, is portrayed here in the benign mode in which he grants blessings. Made for a temple exterior, perhaps as part of a frieze, this sculpture was meant to be viewed from the right and below as devotees circled the building. Beautifully fashioned and gracefully sensual, it conveys a sense of the complex sculptural programs of classic Hindu temples in India.

Hindu temples are typically ornamented both inside and out with relief sculptures. The wear on this sculpture indicates it was located outside, exposed to natural elements. Worshippers viewed it from below as they circled the building clockwise before entering the temple hall. Shiva, the powerful god of destruction and regeneration, grants blessings while his beloved wife Parvati (also known as Uma) sits affectionately on his left knee. The figures at the base include their sons, the elephant-headed Ganesha and Kartikeya, a destroyer of demons. At their feet is Shiva’s mount, Nandi the bull.

The Uma-Mahesvara is a depiction of the great Hindu god Shiva in an affectionate mode. He holds his wife Uma (also called Parvati) on his left knee, and Nandi, the bull that is the deity’s ‘vehicle,’ rests below them. To Nandi’s right is Ganesha, the couple’s elephant-headed son, and to the left is their other son, Kartikeya. Shiva, the creator and destroyer, is portrayed here in the benign mode in which he grants blessings. Made for a temple exterior, perhaps as part of a frieze, this sculpture was meant to be viewed from the right and below as devotees circled the building. Beautifully fashioned and gracefully sensual, it conveys a sense of the complex sculptural programs of classic Hindu temples in India.

Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. “Selected Works”. Providence: Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 2008.